Trastevere73 Tops Standings After 2023 MotoGP eSport Global Series Opening Round
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Copyrights 2023 Yamaha Motor Racing Srl
Lorenzo Daretti (aka Trast73 or Trastevere73) showed he is still the man to beat during today’s Round 1 of the 2023 MotoGP eSport Global Series. He won the first-ever MotoGP eSport Sprint (Mugello, dry) and secured a hard-fought fourth and first place respectively in Race 1 (Barcelona, dry) and Race 2 (Misano, dry).
Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 25th August 2023
Today, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Lorenzo Daretti (aka Trast73 or Trastevere73) made a strong start to the 2023 MotoGP eSport Global Series. The three-time MotoGP eSport Champion (in 2017, 2018, and 2021) had to compete in a Sprint and two Races, and he was up for the challenge. He secured a first, fourth, and first place respectively to land at the top of the overall classifications.
Though not completely satisfied with his qualifying performance, Daretti had secured fifth place on the grid for the Sprint and Race 1 and pole position for Race 2. It set him up for today’s fierce battles for crucial championship points.
Round 1 of the 2023 Global Series premiered the new race format for MotoGP eSport, including a Sprint. Though the new challenge was only 3 laps long, the difficulty lay in rider adaptability. The conditions change every lap, as the participants ride with less fuel and worn tyres. A sudden tyre drop can catch them out easily. Lorenzo had a good start from pole, and was soon in the lead, but he realised that if he continued to push like it was a Qualifying Practice, he would crash. He rode strategically and found a balance between ‘time-attack riding’ and ‘end-of-race tyre-management riding’ whilst battling hard with 26_adriaan. It paid off with a first win of the season, which he took by 0.067s.
In Race 1, Trast73 had a good start from fifth and took the holeshot. Unhappy with the set-up in the 8-lap dash, he was unable to ride as he wanted to. A small mistake at the start of lap 2 caused him to exceed track limits. Soon after, he got into a hard fight with Jack Hammer4658. Trastevere73 was under pressure from 26_adriaan and Cristianmm17. He rode defensively for as long as he could, but in the end he was relegated to fourth place. He held that position until the very end, crossing the finish line 3.674s from first.
In Race 2 at Misano, Daretti made a strong comeback. He was starting from pole but found himself in second place in the opening stages. Nevertheless, the Italian made his experience at the San Marino track count. He waited for the perfect moment to overtake Jack Hammer4658 for the lead at the end lap 1. The Yamaha rider put his head down in the remaining seven laps and broke away from the pack a little. He held the lead all the way to the chequered flag, taking the race win with a 0.602s gap to second place.
Trastevere73’s efforts in the first Sprint, Race 1 and Race 2 earned him 50 solid points and first place in the rankings for the 2023 MotoGP eSport Championship, with a 5-point advantage.
The next round will take place on 15th September 2023.
Though not completely satisfied with his qualifying performance, Daretti had secured fifth place on the grid for the Sprint and Race 1 and pole position for Race 2. It set him up for today’s fierce battles for crucial championship points.
Round 1 of the 2023 Global Series premiered the new race format for MotoGP eSport, including a Sprint. Though the new challenge was only 3 laps long, the difficulty lay in rider adaptability. The conditions change every lap, as the participants ride with less fuel and worn tyres. A sudden tyre drop can catch them out easily. Lorenzo had a good start from pole, and was soon in the lead, but he realised that if he continued to push like it was a Qualifying Practice, he would crash. He rode strategically and found a balance between ‘time-attack riding’ and ‘end-of-race tyre-management riding’ whilst battling hard with 26_adriaan. It paid off with a first win of the season, which he took by 0.067s.
In Race 1, Trast73 had a good start from fifth and took the holeshot. Unhappy with the set-up in the 8-lap dash, he was unable to ride as he wanted to. A small mistake at the start of lap 2 caused him to exceed track limits. Soon after, he got into a hard fight with Jack Hammer4658. Trastevere73 was under pressure from 26_adriaan and Cristianmm17. He rode defensively for as long as he could, but in the end he was relegated to fourth place. He held that position until the very end, crossing the finish line 3.674s from first.
In Race 2 at Misano, Daretti made a strong comeback. He was starting from pole but found himself in second place in the opening stages. Nevertheless, the Italian made his experience at the San Marino track count. He waited for the perfect moment to overtake Jack Hammer4658 for the lead at the end lap 1. The Yamaha rider put his head down in the remaining seven laps and broke away from the pack a little. He held the lead all the way to the chequered flag, taking the race win with a 0.602s gap to second place.
Trastevere73’s efforts in the first Sprint, Race 1 and Race 2 earned him 50 solid points and first place in the rankings for the 2023 MotoGP eSport Championship, with a 5-point advantage.
The next round will take place on 15th September 2023.
The Sprint in Mugello was amazing. I had a great battle with Adriaan, who at the last corner flanked me trying to overtake me, but in the end I won by less than a tenth – incredible! As a format, doing a Sprint is not bad: you have to push to the limit while remaining super focussed without being fooled by the idea that it’s only 3 laps.
In Race 1, set in Catalunya, I started from fifth. I made a spectacular start braking outside, and I managed to exit turn one in first position. But I knew that this was not the race in which I would be able to push and impress with my pace. I made small mistakes and went down in the standings. I did not have an ideal feeling, but still finished fourth and enjoyed the battle and some good overtakes.
For Race 2 we took on the Misano track. This was ‘my race’. I was starting from pole position, and I had the pace to take the victory. I arrived slightly wide at the first corner, and Jack Hammer4658 managed to overtake me. I tried to stay behind him and not lose further positions. In the last sector of the first lap, I managed to overtake Jack in the final corner, and I started to improve my pace. It was good, everything worked perfectly for me. In fact, it was a sensational race, and returning to victory-winning form has given me a lot of confidence and motivation.
We are now first in the championship, but we are all really close in the standings, so it doesn't matter. These are difficult races where you will have to take as many points as possible to stay in the lead in the world championship. I'm confident. I like the new MotoGP Videogame. But not all the races are like Misano: I was strong there, but less so in Catalunya, so we have to try to improve our consistency by working hard.